Arresto
by Overlord Kurama
Summary: How long has it been, since this habit of his began? How long does he have left to keep it up... Vayne/Roxis.
1. Blue Eyes & Addiction

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Mana Khemia. Because if I did, Vayne and Roxis' ending would not just be full of subtext--they'd be _married._

**Summary: **_"Roxis has pretty hair, doesn't he?" Internally, he agrees. And he tries not too think too hard about how well he could tell her about that, in detail.  
_

**Warnings: **Shounen-ai, present tense, ambiguous point in-game (may or may not end up with spoilers).**  
**

**Author's Note: **Oho, did I win the slot for 20th Mana Khemia fic? I've had this plot bunny in mind for awhile, long before I even finished the game; Vayne and Roxis had too much chemistry for me to pass up! Still, for my... um... 'grand return' to fanfiction . net, this fic isn't very polished and isn't even finished. I intended for it to be a long one-shot, but from how pathetically I've been stalking this section, I decided to just post what I had as my flimsy addition. The rest will be coming in chapters, I suppose, but I fear my slow updating coming back to haunt me. Still, I hope some Rayne... Vaxis...? supporters can enjoy this, a little?

**Arresto**

Vayne is not quite sure when it started, this… habit of his. But he thinks he can honestly say it began since they first met. Not that he immediately thought that Roxis was 'stunning', not that he looked at him quite the same way he does now, but he did stare, and did think Roxis was…

Angry. And then he thought, strange. And then, mildly scary. And then, very scary. And then, noble. And then, intelligent. And then, determined… stubborn. And then, concentrated. And then, devoted to his work, devoted to becoming better… he thought, _devoted._

And then… breathtaking.

The word makes him blush, even in his head, and vaguely, vaguely Vayne wonders if Roxis would blush too. He stifles the thought before it can fully form--no, Roxis would never blush… though Vayne did have an endearing memory of his cheeks flushed with pink that flooded even his ears… but that was from embarrassment. He wouldn't blush from Vayne offering him that kind of flattery.

It isn't flattery, though. It's the truth. He can be, he _is_, captivating, something Vayne learned from watching him, and Vayne loves to watch him to see more. But he's sure it's a truth Roxis would be uncomfortable knowing. To know that Vayne notices so much of him, down to the twitch of his eyes to the grasp of his hands to the stiffness of his back and his legs, to know that Vayne enjoys noticing these things… he would find it a little disturbing, a little confusing, and slightly more than creepy.

That was if Vayne ever admitted it, at least. He is sure Roxis would never notice his attentions on his own. Studies, work, and alchemy consume Roxis' attention so fully that Vayne could openly stare at him without any repercussions; except that everyone _else _soon realized where exactly Vayne was keeping his eyes. That had surprised him--he was obvious, he knew that even then, but he hadn't thought he was so… noticeably distracted…

Never mind that for one week, his work had suffered a visible decline as he paid increasingly less attention to his syntheses in favor of golden hair and brown eyes… and the only thing that seemed to snap him back to focus was seeing those eyes narrowed in disapproval at his bungles.

Maybe he's being pathetic. How far has his habit already gone?

But he couldn't help it; Roxis is truly captivating. For all his wishes to best Vayne, Roxis doesn't seem to realize that power he holds over him, a power that has solely belonged to him for some time now. Having it should make Roxis intimidating, dangerous, but Vayne willingly lets him carry it, and he cannot bring himself to fear.

What he does fear is Roxis' reaction to knowing just how much Vayne is willing to _give _him. Roxis wants to take his control, wants to earn it, and Vayne would fight him for as long as he wanted if it kept him close by. That's all he needs, for Roxis to stay close. It would even be alright if he never knew the real reason why he needed that, why Vayne couldn't properly concentrate that week, or why it twisted Vayne's heart to see his face so disappointed…

He doesn't need to know, even if everyone else already does. Vayne is perfectly fine with just watching him. He would happily live with seeing his determined scowl, that strain of focus on his brow, knowing his reward would come in a rare, satisfied smile when he sees Roxis finally achieve success.

And sometimes, sometimes, after that moment, Roxis would look up, look straight at him--never with that smile, but no longer with his scowl--and the sight of his confident eyes is more than enough to take Vayne's breath away.


	2. Blue Eyes & Confusion

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own it. My god, if I did, you would have seen Vayne in a wedding dress at the end of the game and Roxis trying to sustain a nosebleed.

**Summary: **_Roxis was always thinking ahead. Vayne always preferred to think of life in terms of now instead of later._

**Author's Note: **Ahaha, over a month without an update… is not a good omen. Thank you, many thank yous, to all of you who reviewed and waited! Knowing of your existence will make me kick myself harder for each day I don't touch this. :D; But yes, this will be a less one-sided Roxis/Vayne eventually, which means, definitely multi-chaptered. But, with me writing it, it will… definitely be updated slowly. Or not. I've been more inspired lately, I think. This chapter isn't much, but let's hope I keep the lightning bolt.

**2: Blue Eyes & Confusion**

It's probably even more pathetic how long it takes him to remember how to breathe. He's reminded of Sulpher teaching him, of having to learn how to fill his chest with that strange something called air, and how to (pointlessly, he remembers thinking) let it out. He only sees these lessons in vague flashes, and sometimes wonders if he might be imagining them from how odd they seem to him now, but he holds on to them regardless; they are a part of his past, and he guesses they must have happened more than enough times for him to remember.

Vayne doesn't like to think of his past very often, though. What he does remember of it is unclear, and those fuzzy memories seem like such tiny pinpricks of light in a void that seeing them, so faintly, only reminds him of the vast emptiness that surrounds them. He thinks about his future even less--he sees nothing there, no specks of memories to hold on to--the total darkness and uncertainty makes him feel strange, cold.

Sometimes he thinks he's afraid of the future, of _his_ future, at least. He likes to think of everyone else's, especially of Roxis'. Roxis has been certain of his future since the day Vayne met him, with his angry eyes focused on his book--a book on alchemy, on famous alchemists. Vayne remembers the cover.

Roxis wants to be an alchemist. Always has; knowing the sins of alchemists didn't stop him. Vayne doesn't doubt that he would be different from them. Roxis has always been noble.

But sometimes, sometimes, Vayne wonders if that wish is what Roxis wants for himself, or because it's what his family wished for him, and he's simply too used to following it. Roxis had seemed so bitter the first time he told Vayne about his family. Either way, he never questions it aloud; it's what Roxis wants, whether or not he had to convince himself he wanted it, but Vayne thinks he couldn't have so much passion and focus towards becoming an alchemist without some of his own desire there.

His desire _fascinates_ him.

Roxis is always thinking of his future with everything he does, always using his logic to stay one, two, three steps ahead. Vayne admires that about him; but watching Roxis in the present is what he finds so utterly enthralling. It's the present that Vayne loves to think about, because _now_, everyone is still there with him, thinking and drifting slowly towards their dreams, and Roxis is still there with him, still right there in front of him, allowing Vayne to watch him work, think, dream, and it's…

… Unspeakably painful, if Vayne thinks about it too hard.

Vayne doesn't know what his dreams are. He likes helping everyone come closer to realizing theirs, but he still stands so far from having any idea of what to want for himself that it… hurts, thinking that when they graduate, they're all going to leave him behind, and without them, without Roxis, and all his passions that Vayne loves, he'll have even less of an idea that barely even existed.

He hates thinking about the future; at least he knows that much.

He doesn't dare let himself hope that the single spark to light that void could be gold.

What matters is that they're all here _now, _that Roxis is looking at him now, brows furrowed and eyes narrowed just a fraction behind his glasses. It's not an angry expression, and it's not quite a glare--Roxis is staring at him like… like he's trying to pick him apart and see what he's thinking, and the intensity of his gaze roots Vayne to the spot. It's just another testament to the power Roxis had… Vayne could never tear his eyes away from him, never, Roxis always had to break eye contact first.

He wondered how awful his face must look for Roxis to want to know what was on his mind.

Vayne tries to smile at him--it hurts his face.

As usual, Roxis doesn't smile back.


End file.
